St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-09-10
Treasury Agent Tingle Tells
About the Operations Of
the Seal Pirates.
The Worlds Supply Of Fur
Seal in Serious Danger of
determination.
Why the Three-Mile Limit
Does Not Hold Regarding .
Behring's Sea.
Personal Experiences Told q
Globe Representative by
the Chief Agent.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 9.-The annual
report of George r. Tingle, treasury
agent, in charge of the Alaska seal
islands, has been received at the treas
ury department. The agent says that
the time has come when the lessees of
the island should be authorized to EN-
plOy additional natives and teach them
the business of sealing, as death has
played sad havoc with the native sealers
of the islands. The system of payment
to the natives is criticised for its bad
effect upon them, and it is held that
would be but simple justice to allow the
natives of OunalaSka to be employed
and paid on the same footing with the
natives of st. Paul island. The mortal
ity among the natives of st. Paul is said
to have been very large. while 1t is q
remarkable fact that not single death
from disease has occurred among the
white inhabitants since the transfer of
Alaska to the United States.
SEALS WITHOUT NUMBER. -
From measurements made by Assist
ant Agent Neyes it appears that the
grand total Of breeding seals on st.
Paul and st. George islands last,spring
was 6,357, $50, but in transmitting the
statement Mr.. Tingle adds that in his
judgment deduction of 0ne-fourth
would bring the number closer to the
truth. Whilst on two rookeries there is
some falling off it is certain that this
vast number Of animals Is still on the
increase. Mr.. TingIe says: 1.-The de-
partment cannot place too high. All esti-
mate ON the value of this seal property
and the government l am sure will not
yield to any demands which would
make 1t possible to accomplish the de-
struction of seal rookeries and seal life,
which under judiciouS management and
protected by law may be perpetuated
indefinitely"
A large part of the report is devoted
to a history of the seizure Of marauding
vessels by revenue cutters which has
already been briefly reported by tele-
graph. The agent says that after the
departure Of the revenue cutter last fall
large numbers Of seals were taken by
BRITISH MARAUDERS
and the skins sold in Victoria. One yes
sci sent her boats to rookerieS, but they
were fired upon by the natives under or
derS of the assistant agent,and two men
orally among the marauders and served
to keep them safe distance from the
rookeries. Up to the LIST of August four
Scho0nerS had been seen operating
around St. Paul island this season. One
of these vessels, the Angel Dolly, of
San Francisco, was seized by Mr.. Tin
gle, who boarded her with the help OF.
Alaska Commercial company's steamer
ST. Paul. The vessel was In distress as
the captain had been accidentally shot
and one man wounded while leaving
Otter island where they had been killing
seals. This made the seventh capture
this season, the revenue cutter Rush
having previously taken six which were
sent ito Silka for trial. They were the
American schooner Challenge, with Isl
335 skins; w. p. Sawyer, 479 skins;
Dolphia, 600 skins; Grace, 100 skins,
and the American schooner Lottie l.,
1877 skins.
Mr.. Tingle says that Capt. Sheppard,
Of the Rush, has been indefatigable in
his efforts to
PROTECT SEAL. LIFE,
and would, no doubt, add atleast six
more to the list Of his captives before he
leaves the waters. The agent suggests
the ACCESSIBILITY Of providing small
steam yacht armed with a rifle cannon,
as schOonerS were killing seal in plain
view of ST. Paul island while the Rush
was protecting st. George island. tits
said that 10000 skins would be a low es-
innate of those taken this season by
canoe of these figures will be under
stood when the fact is borne in mind
that only one in ten seals skilled is Sc
cured. In supplemental report dated
San Francisco, Aug. 10, the agent says.
that on the nth of August the Ameri-
can schooner Anna, with $50 skins,
was brought into port, having been
seized by the Rush. She reported
the seizure of the British sch0oners
Mary Ellen. 395 skins, and Alfred
Adams, 1,4OO skins. The cutter also:
captured 400 skins landed on an island
by the British schooner Lottie Fairfield,
in Behring'S sea, making total of :, 800
skins seized during the season. The
number of seals killed during the year
by the lessee was 194 1924, and the NUM-
600, -zlss,|.'.s
IN TIE COMMONS.
LONDON, Sept. Sir James. Fer
gusson, parliamentary secretary to the
foreign offices, replying to Gerley in the
house OF commons to-day, said the gov.
eminent had no information in refer
ence to the seizure of the Pathfinder by
the American government. But unless
she was engaged in fishing within three
miles of the coast of Alaska, she was
not liable to lawful seizure. A report
has been received that seven vessels in
all have been seized. The American
government had ordered that no more
vessels be seized, pending judicial pre-
ceedings, and that vessels and persons
already seized be discharged, reserving
all questions involved for negotiations
at Washington He was not prepared
to state what course the government
would take in dealing with the Alaskan
fishery question.
SEEN IN ST. PAUL.
Singularly apropOs of the above,
George r. Jingle spent yesterday in St.
Paul EN- route to Washington, whittier
he has been ordered by the government
from San Francisco to report in person
to the secretary of the treasury regard
ing the seizure ofvessels engaged In IL
legal sealing. Mr.. Tingle was seen at
the Ryan by representative of the
GLOBE and talked at some length re-
garding affairs at the seal islands. He
says that the public generally has no
adequate idea Of the fisheries question,
so far as it concerns the Alaska sealing
interests. In the ceSSiOn by Russia to
this country of Alaska the waters of
Behring's sea, in which the seal islands
are situated, were included. RuSSia'S
right to these waters before the ceSSiOifs
was unQuestiOned. The sea, he says,
being almost entirely land locked by the
chain of AIentian islands is